Egg-carrier.



No. 810,324. PATENTBD JAN. 16, 1906.

N. H. ma. L. CLARK.

EGG CARRIER.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII AIL'B, 1905- UNITED srarns PATENT onrrcn.

NELSON HIRAM CLARK AND ROBERT L. CLARK, OF MUNNSVILLE, NEW

' YORK.

EGG-CARRIER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 16, 1906.

Application filed January 6, 1905. Serial No. 239,834.

T 0 ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, NELSON HJRAM CLARK and ROBERT L. CLARK, citizens of the United States, and residents of Munnsville, in the county of Madison and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Egg-Carrier, of which the following is a full, clear, and eXact description.

Our invention relates particularly to a package for the delivery of eggs from a dealer to a purchaser; and the purpose of the invention is to provide a simple and economic carrier comprising a bodysection consisting of a receptacle having partitions forming a seri-es of pockets, each pocket adapted to receive an egg, and, furthermore, to construct a cover for the package in the form of a tray, together with a locking device for the cover, forming a portion of the body of the carrier, which locking device serves to hold the traycover in place during transportation, whereby upon releasing the locking device and inverting the carrier the eggs will be received by the tray and when the body of the carrier is removed from the said tray-cover the tray-cover will continue to act as a receptacle for the contents of the carrier.

The invention'consists in the novel con struction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a carrier in condition for transportation. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the carrier with its traycover removed. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the tray-cover inverted and in position to receive the eggs from the body of the carrier; and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the carrier with the tray-cover locked in place, illustrating a slight departure in the manner of locking the tray-cover in position.

A represents the body of the carrier, which may be made of any suitable material, a stout paper-stock being preferably used, and the said body A of the eg -carrier may be of any desired shape. Usua ly, however, the said body is rectangular, as illustrated in the drawings.

At or near the central portion of opposite sides of the body A, at its upper edge, recesses 10 are formed, and a bail B, made, preferably, of wire of a suitable gage, is used in connection with the body of the carrier and its cover C, to be hereinefter described, the bail B being adapted to lock the aforesaid cover C in place.

The bail is preferably made as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, in which it will be observed that the bail consists of side members and an upper member connecting the side members, the terminal portions 11 of the side members being pivoted to the side portions of the body A at one side of the center and adjacent to the bottom edge of said sides. Where the side members of the bail. connect with the upper member, upwardly-extending loops 12 are formed, and when the bail is brought in looking position on the body the side members of the bail have an inclination upwardly from their pivotal points, the upper member extending horizontally from side to side of the body at the recesses 10 therein, while the loops 12 extend down at opposite sides of the aforesaid recessed portions 10 of the body, thus holding the bail in its locking position. When the bail is in the position just described, it bears upon the cover C and serves to hold the cover in place within the body of the carrier; but the bail may be plain, as shown in Fig. 4, wherein the aforesaid loops 12 are omitted.

Longitudinal partitions 13 are located in the body portion A, together with transverse partitions 14, forming a series of pockets, and each pocket is adapted to receive an egg or other breakable object.

The partitions 13 and 14 are preferably made to interlock, and these partitions,while they may be loosely introduced into the body A, are ordinarily secured therein in any approved manneras, for example, by adhesive strips 16, attached to the partitions and to the bottom of the body. The ends 15 of the vertical and transverse partitions 13 and 14 are beveled from the top downwardly and outwardly, so as to provide spacesto receive the outwardly-flaring marginal portions 0 of the cover O, which cover is in the form of a tray, as is illustrated in Fig. 3, and is to be inverted when placed in position on the pack- The bail having been carried away from the recesses 10 in the body of the device, occupying practically the position shown in Fig. 2, the eggs or other articles are placed in the pockets formed by the partitions 13 and 14. The tray-cover C in its inverted position is now introduced into the body A, and its marginal portions will enter the spaces between the sides and ends of the body and the beveled ends 15 of the partitions 13 and 14, and the inner face of the tray-cover will at such time bear upon the upper edges of the said partitions. The bail B is then carried to the locking position above described and will effectually serve to hold the tray-cover in place.

We desire it to be understood that one or more hooks may be used in connection with the bail B for holding it in locked position, if desired, and that the tray-cover C may be made of any suitable material.

In operation when the eggs have reached their destination the bail B is carried from its locked position, thus freeing the traycover 0. The package is then inverted and the body A is withdrawn from the tray-cover C, whereupon the contents of the carrier will be left in the tray-cover C, which will serve as a receptacle for the former contents of the package as long as may be desired.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A package adapted for the transportation of fragile articles and comprising a bodysection having recesses in the upper edges of opposite sides, the recesses being at or near the central portion of the sides, partitions in the bodysection dividing the body into pockets, a tray-cover for the body-section fitting within the same,'the top of said cover when in position being below the plane of the upper edge of the body-section, and a bail having its side members pivoted to the side portions of the body-section at one side of the center and adjacent to the bottom edges of said sides, the said bail being adapted to engage the recesses in the sides of the bodysection and bear on the top surface of the tray-cover to hold the tray-cover in position, as described.

2. A package consisting of a body-section having opposing recesses in the upper edges of opposing surfaces, a bail having the terminal portions of its side members pivotally attached to the side portions of the body at one side of the center thereof, the upper section of which bail in its locking position is arranged to enter the said recesses, supports within the body, and an inverted-tray-shaped cover for the body, engaging with the said supports, the top of the cover when in position being below the plane of the upper edge of the body-section and adapted to be held in position by the said bail, for the purpose described.

3. The combination with the bodyof a receptacle having recesses in the upper edges on opposite sides, a bail pivotally attached to the body, extending upwardly from its pivotal point and across the upper portion of the body, the said bail at the intersection of its members being provided with upwardly-ex tending loops, the members of which loops, in the locking position of the bail are located at the outer and inner surfaces of the said side members of the body of the receptacle at the aforesaid recesses therein, partitions dividing the said body of the receptacle into a series of pockets, the ends of which partitions are beveled downwardly and outwardly, and an inverted tray-cover adapted to be held in engagement with the said partitions by means of the said bail, the marginal portions of which tray-cover enter the spaces between the ends of the partitions and the adjacent surfaces of the body of the receptacle, as set forth.

4. A package consisting of a body-section having opposing recesses in the upper edges of opposite sides, a bail having side members pivotally attached to the sides of the body section, and an upper or connecting member extending across the upper portion of the body, the bail at the intersection of the upper and side members being provided with upwardly-extending loops, the members of said loops, when the bail is in look ng position, extending down at the inner and outer surfaces of the sides of the body at the said recesses, and a separable tray-cover for the body-section adapted to be held in place by the bail, as set forth.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

NELSON HIRAM CLARK. ROBT. L. CLARK. Witnesses:

CHAS. E. DICKSON, FRANCES E. HORTON. 

